


oh the sweetness of the pain

by acemartinblackwood (semnai)



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21540595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/semnai/pseuds/acemartinblackwood
Summary: A study of what each of the Dread Powers see in Martin, certified (TM) Fear snack.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	oh the sweetness of the pain

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not exactly sure what this is _exactly_ , but I wanted to archive it somewhere so it didn't get lost in my blog. And I did spend a while writing it?? I just love the Fears seeing Martin, being like ooOOOoooo a snack, and just want to add him to their collection.
> 
> Title from Keats' poem, "A Song of Opposites".

1\. The spiders adore Martin. He saves them from being squashed, talks to them, even names them. It doesn’t hurt either that he knows how to spin his own webs, how to stay in the shadows, how to wait for prey to amble by and underestimate him, before he strikes.

2\. The worms tried, in vain, to get Martin to become part of something more, to hear their song, a hymn of acceptance and beauty. He would have made a perfect home for the creatures of the Corruption; it would thrive on his acceptance and passivity, and he would never have to be alone again.

3\. The Vast desires to show Martin the potential of limitless space, how free he’d be there after being trapped so long, trapped by his mother, trapped by the institute. It knows how much he’d enjoy that freedom, the wide open space, no longer tied down to any weight.

4\. Those of the Stranger who have crossed paths with Martin admired what they saw. Martin has never been comfortable in his skin; they yearn to show him skin that would fit, how he could become more than himself and someone, no, _something_ that no one would ignore. And Martin has such beautiful, freckled skin.

5\. The Distortion loves playing games, and they had enjoyed their time with Martin in their winding corridors, although over too soon. Their face may have changed, but they expect there will be an opportunity to show him through their door once again.

6\. The coffin played its own song for Martin as he laid the tape recorders around it, a song of peace, being laid to rest, of all earthly troubles meaning nothing under the steady, crushing weight of dirt. Martin has withstood tremendous pressures that others would bow under; the Buried knows he would enjoy its comforting embrace.

7\. The Slaughter senses Martin’s pent up rage and frustration, and dreams of one day unleashing it. It could show him how to not be helpless, how to fight back, tear apart those who have wronged him, show everyone the pain the world has made him feel. They would march together to its song.

8\. Martin is patient and unrelenting, the mark of a good Hunter. Martin has always felt like prey; but with a little push in the right direction, the Hunt could show him the pleasure in being lost in a hunt, the thrill of the chase and the kill of another monster. It would help Martin first hunt all the Avatars and monsters that hurt Jon, and then hunt every other monster that stood in their way.

9\. A prickling uncertainty of what may lie within the dark has followed Martin throughout his life: when he couldn’t afford money for utilities and had to navigate his flat before bed; when he walked home long after midnight at the end of a long shift; the many late nights in the Archive. What if, Mr. Pitch whispers in his ear, _you_ were the one waiting in the dark?

10\. Martin has experienced so much _delicious_ loss and pain in his short life; he had so much potential as a child, and it was all but destroyed by those who should have loved and cared for him. If only he would seize the opportunity the Desolation offers him to let others experience his anguish and cause destruction to a world that has given him nothing but misery.

11\. The Flesh sees only potential in the shape of Martin’s body, and was disappointed that Jared became a bit… preoccupied when he had attacked the Institute. It also knows Martin had to go through periods of hunger in the past when times had been tough, giving what little food he could afford to his mother. Little did he know, meat was everywhere. But it would love to educate him.

12\. Martin is no stranger to death; they are old friends. He has been stalked by Death, from the passing of his mother, when he watched her slowly waste away, to the loss of his friends. The End desires to embrace him as well, and waits for the day that he will walk to it willingly.

13\. Martin’s echoing, deep-seated loneliness is like a siren’s call for the Forsaken. Martin carried around excruciating heartache and the Lonely offered him the cure. It had come closer than any other Fear; it had nearly hollowed him out, had nearly sunk its icy claws into his heart, when it had been thwarted. But Martin has been Marked, and the fog awaits the opportunity to creep back in.

14\. The Beholding’s watchful eye _knows_ Martin. It has cataloged his many fears, his hopes, his dreams, his habits, his dislikes, and his loves. He remains pierced by its gaze, not only by providing it with statements, or serving one of its Avatars, but through Martin’s own desire for information. His need to know does not burn as hot as its Archive, but its a steady, persistent hunger. And he dutifully feeds it.

15\. The Extinction is only just gaining its bearings, metaphorically stretching its legs. But its attention has been drawn to Martin, who so casually invoked its name as he recounted the stories of others who had helped it manifest. It sees one who has experienced many personal cataclysmic changes and, after his involvement with the Dread Powers, worries more than most about the end of the world. It is unsurprised, but pleased when Martin is at the heart of the Summoning, the crossroads of the actual end of the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! :) Kudos and such are love.


End file.
